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Beer of the Month: December 2018
December marks the end of our beer journey for the year. I hope this year brought exciting new brewery discoveries and introduced you to beers you might not normally select for yourself. Our beer club aims to provide you with bite-sized nuggets of beer wisdom that you can pass on to your friends, families, and colleagues. I’ll be happy to hear what some of your favorite beers were and which breweries you were most excited about! With that being said, I had to end this beer year with a bang. A beer included in this selection is truly one of a kind—a beer you can only find at PlumpJack Wine & Spirits. I did some digging and, to my knowledge, no beer has ever been aged in a barrel that previously held Old Weller Antique 107 bourbon. Old Weller is a part of the Pappy Van Winkle line of bourbons – the most sought after bourbon in the world today.
Cheers,
Brendon Pineda, Beer Aficionado, PlumpJack Wine & Spirits
“A unique, scientific and artistic approach to the beer making process allows us to push the envelope on new, modern day ales while also being able to stay true to tradition.” – Mark Denari
Founded in 2015 by Mark Denari, New World Ales strives to make ales of the highest quality. New World Ales is a brewery that has “old world” style origins but has most recently started producing some of the best Hazy IPA styles in the Bay Area. A year ago, when PlumpJack first started carrying New World Ales, I asked Mark if he ever saw himself brewing Hazy IPA’s. His response? “Eh, maybe not.” Mark seemed pretty stern on continuing to brew old school styles of beer in a time where it seemed like every brewery was producing this new wave of IPA. Fast forward one year later, and Mark is brewing some of the best Hazy IPAs in town, merging his old world sensibilities with new world adventurousness.
About a year ago, PlumpJack’s whisk(e)y aficionado, Josh, purchased a barrel of Old Weller Antique bourbon to bottle for our stores. I asked Josh if I could have the empty bourbon barrel and he obliged. As if by fate, the night I tried the bourbon for the first time, Mark from New World Ales called me about his next beer release. I asked him if he’d be willing to age a beer in a special barrel exclusively for our beer club members. He said yes! Mark took his imperial stout, which had cherries and cocoa nibs added, and aged the beer in our Old Weller Antique barrel for 11 months. Now we all have something to brag about at our Christmas parties.
Air Kölschi: Kölsch Style-Ale
Hops: German Tettnanger
Grain Bill: Weyermann pilsner, Weyermann Carapils
ABV: 4.5%
Sensory: A delicate malt character of biscuit and honey in most prominent in this true German Kölsch.
Serving Temp: 40-50°F
Godspeed: Unfiltered India Pale Ale
Hops: Citra, Mosaic & Azacca
Grain Bill: Rahr 2 Row, Weyermann Vienna, Briess White Wheat, Weyermann Malted Rye
ABV: 6.5%
Sensory: A blend between the east and west coast creates a uniquely juicy brew packed with stone-fruit character and a dry, crisp finish
Serving Temp: 45-55°F
Sincerely, The IPA*: Double Dry Hopped Hazy India Pale Ale
Hops: Citra, Sorachi Ace, Galaxy, Mandarina Bavaria
Grain Bill: Rahr 2 Row, Weyermann Vienna, Briess White Wheat, Weyermann Malted Rye
ABV: 6.5%
Sensory: Tropical and citrus character jump from this brew with unique complementary notes of lemon oil, dill, coconut, cedar, and cream.
Serving Temp: 50-55°F
*brewed in collaboration with the rap group "People Under The Stairs"
Unity (Bourbon Barrel-Aged): Stout with Montmorency cherries and cocoa nibs aged for 11 months in barrels that previously held Weller Antique 107 for 7 years.
Hops: n/a
Grain Bill: Rahr 2 Row, Chocolate malt
ABV: label states 9.5% but due to barrel-aging, it is estimated to be ~12%
Sensory: Intense notes of bourbon, milk and dark chocolate
Serving Temp: 50-55°F
Cover Photo via @newworldales
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